Student's RTI query reveals civic body hasn't spent a single rupee from Rs 10 lakh given by state for those people falling under this category; amount was given two years ago
In a startling reply to a Right To Information (RTI) query filed by city student Ganesh Borhade, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials replied that funds worth Rs 10 lakh, sanctioned by the state for the welfare of Aadhaar card bearers falling in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category, are lying unused.u00a0
Borhade recently received the reply to the query he had filed on February 26.
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The reply also revealed that executives at UID centres had failed to note details of applicants falling in the BPL category. The state had passed a government resolution (GR) two years ago, stating that citizens falling in the BPL category would be eligible for getting a sum of Rs 100 after furnishing their UID cards.u00a0
Plain negligence
“I was shocked to read that efforts were not taken to check whether the person coming to register for Aadhaar card belongs to the BPL category or not,” said Borhade.
He said in the GR it was clearly mentioned that it would be the sole responsibility of the district collector or the municipal commissioner to ensure that BPL citizens would be entitled for a sum of Rs 100 after furnishing their UID cards.
“I had asked for names and address of all such citizens. But civic authorities appeared clueless about whom they were supposed to pay the sum assured by the government,” Borhade said.
When contacted, Aadhar Yojana in-charge for PMC Mangesh Joshi accepted that the funds had remained unutilised for the last two years.
“We don’t know how to utilise it. Not only the PMC, but municipal corporations in other cities too are unaware about the usage of the money they have received from the state for distribution among BPL citizens,” Joshi said.
When asked for exact number of citizens falling under the BPL category within Pune Municipal Corporation’s jurisdiction, Joshi said he would not be able to give specific details.
“Last month, we asked the state to send us guidelines for using the fund,” Joshi said.
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